Directly as a result of the sustained support from government and private agencies, substantial progress has been made in understanding the actions of alcohol and the disorder of alcoholism. The public health consequences of alcoholism affect virtually all segments of society. The establishment of NIAAA a little over three decades ago has spurred research on alcohol related problems as reflected by the number of new specialty journals, dedicated research centers, and the diversity of investigators spanning virtually all scientific disciplines, as well as by the growth of national and international societies. The substantial advances in understanding the biological and behavioral actions of alcohol and current knowledge regarding the etiological determinants and pathological correlates of alcoholism notwithstanding, there is a pressing need to accomplish the following to sustain continued progress: 1) Marshall and integrate the evidence from basic and clinical research so as to promote new heuristic and productive avenues of research; and, 2) Disseminate the products of research to government and private agency officials for the promotion of policies pertinent to public health and safety. The fourth Gordon Research Conference on Alcohol will address key scientific and policy issues. Nine conference topics were identified based on the consensus of interests expressed by participants at the prior Gordon conference, discussions by the Chair and Co-Chair with established investigators since the last conference, and from tabulations of research publications reflecting current areas of inquiry. The topics to be addressed are: 1) alcohol and antioxidants; 2) mechanisms of neurologic injury; 3) fetal alcohol syndrome; 4) tolerance; 5) genetics; 6) cognitive-pharmacological interactions; 7) gender specific effects; 8) protein metabolism; and, 9) science-technology transfer to policy. The conference will not only consolidate existing knowledge in the above areas, but additionally will serve to identify new research directions as well as governmental and private agency administrators with the information required for devising new research priorities and for strategic policy planning.